Debunking centuries-old myths, 'The Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings' draws upon the latest archaeological insights to unravel the true narrative of the Vikings. The book challenges the timeline that marks the Viking Age's outset with the famed 793 AD raid on Lindisfarne, revealing instead a much earlier commencement. Historian Neil Price escorts readers through a sweeping journey that extends from the eastern American seaboard to the reaches of Uzbekistan and even China, uncovering the sophisticated Viking society—a world far beyond the reductive image of brutish marauders. Prominent within these pages is the pivotal role that slavery played in Viking economy and culture, the existence of pirate communities, and the intricate Norse cosmology that underpinned their very existence. Price's work transcends the boundary of mere history, venturing into the spiritual and metaphysical realms that defined the Viking identity, ultimately presenting these famed Scandinavian explorers as they truly were—complex, insightful, and human.